


Shattering Expectations

by lialin1021



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Broken Engagement, Denial, Dialogue Heavy, Explicit Language, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Insecurity, M/M, Minor Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol, Romance, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:01:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26948638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lialin1021/pseuds/lialin1021
Summary: Kyungsoo believes that he has already had his one shot at love, that he has met the perfect person, and that it is all he gets in life, nothing more. However, all of those assumptions are challenged when he meets someone who completely shatters his expectations and makes him realize that perfection might just be overrated.
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai
Comments: 6
Kudos: 56





	Shattering Expectations

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this because I fell in love with the Kyungsoo in one of my other stories and I decided that he deserves all the love in the world.
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated. Enjoy!
> 
>  **Note:** This story is a spin-off to [Be Happy Together](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26807836) (Baekhyun x Chanyeol)

Kyungsoo pushes up his glasses before he starts adding the finishing touches to the chocolate cake he has been working on for the past two hours. Most of his colleagues have already gone home, but he is still in the office kitchen testing this cake by one of their recipe developers. He doesn’t care that he is the last one there as long as the cake looks just the way he wants. And yes, before you say anything, he is aware that he is a perfectionist, thank you very much.

He smiles as he places the last blueberry on the top of the cake and then takes a step back to assess his own work.

First impression: it looks quite good. That evaluation makes him reach for his phone and take a picture. Kyungsoo doesn’t do that very often, only when it is the food he made. It is important for him that people know that. Second impression: it doesn’t taste bad. After he cuts himself a generous slice, he appreciates the structural integrity and uses a cake fork to take a bite. It tastes like a chocolate cake is supposed to taste. It is chocolatey, moist, rich, not too sweet. However, Kyungsoo can’t shake off the feeling that there is something wrong.

He bites down on the fork in his mouth. What is it? He can’t quite put his finger on it, which is strange because he can usually tell right away why something tastes off to him or why he is not completely satisfied.

Unfortunately, there is no one at the office he could discuss this issue with. Not that he would trust any of those people anyway – they usually judge recipes based on their relationships with certain developers – but he is so stumped right now that he would even appreciate their useless input. That is how much he does not know what to do.

Nevertheless, there is one more option left. There is a certain someone who always helps Kyungsoo when it comes to food. His best friend, Baekhyun. He might not be a professional in the field, but damn, that man knows how to appreciate good food, and that is what counts in the end, isn’t it? Plus, he has never disappointed when Kyungsoo asked about his opinion – an excellent track record. What more could one need?

After Kyungsoo shoots him a text asking if he is busy, he goes back to the cake. The recipe is supposed to be for a very tasty yet simple cake that you can make at home without much experience or work but it will taste as if you bought it at some fancy cake shop.

Although Kyungsoo spent quite some time making it, the instructions were easy to follow and there were no fancy techniques involved. And if he is being honest, it probably would take half the time if he weren’t such a perfectionist. Therefore, one of the requirements is met. And as for the taste? Well, technically it can never reach the level of a good cake shop as far as Kyungsoo is concerned. That is simply not possible. But will an average person be able to tell that?

Before Kyungsoo can answer that question in his mind, his phone buzzes. It is Baekhyun telling him that his gym session starts soon and that after that he has plans with his boyfriend. However, he offers one solution: Kyungsoo can come to the gym and talk to him when he is taking a break.

Now, there is one thing you should probably know about Kyungsoo: he hates gyms (mainly because he hates any physical activity and does not understand people who find pleasure in it). Therefore, he is quite hesitant about accepting Baekhyun’s proposal. But as he looks at the cake, he realizes that there is no other way. If he doesn’t figure out what to do about the recipe today, he probably won’t be able to fall asleep. And it seems like he needs Baekhyun’s help to so.

 _Damn_ , he usually likes the fact that he is a perfectionist, but at times like this it pretty much sucks.

~

As expected, Kyungsoo feels rather out of place once he steps into the gym. Everybody is in their workout attire doing their best while he walks past them wearing wool sweater and slacks and holding a plastic food container with a slice of chocolate cake. Basically, he sticks out like a sore thumb, and people let him know that by staring at him, which makes him feel even hotter than the sweater does. Still, he tries not to pay too much attention to those stares and focuses on looking around and searching for his best friend.

Fortunately, it does not take him that much time to find Baekhyun. He spots him running on a treadmill, looking completely exhausted but still chatting away with some guy, probably his trainer. Yes, that definitely is a very Baekhyun thing to do – you can completely ruin him, but he will never close his mouth, that is for sure.

A smile flickers across Kyungsoo’s face (it is good to know not even a gym can change his best friend), but then his expression turns more serious. He is hesitant whether he should approach the two men. On one hand, he doesn’t want to interrupt their session, but on the other, he would like to get out of this place as soon as possible. Thankfully, he doesn’t have to decide since Baekhyun notices him in the gym wall mirror and immediately lights up.

“Kyungsoo, hey!” he jumps off the treadmill and turns around to wave at his friend before looking back at his trainer. “Jongin, can we take a break now?”

“Sure,” the trainer answers with a bright smile.

 _Huh_ , Kyungsoo says to himself in his mind as he has the time to take in what the trainer looks like. What a handsome young man. Now that he thinks about it, Baekhyun did mention to him several times that he managed to get a pretty cute trainer. Well, he was not lying, that’s for sure.

“You came at the right time, I was practically dying,” Baekhyun whispers as he approaches Kyungsoo, not wanting his trainer to overhear. “Wow, what’s that in the container? Is that for me?”

“Yes, it is,” Kyungsoo says as he removes the lid and then takes out a cake fork in a plastic wrap from his bag. “I need your honest opinion.”

“On it,” Baekhyun unwraps the fork and cuts off a big piece of the cake. “Mm,” he hums the moment he puts it into his mouth. “That’s good!”

“Is it? Isn’t it… I don’t know… too rich?”

“No, not at all,” Baekhyun answers with his mouth full. “But why don’t we get a second opinion?” Before Kyungsoo can ask what he means by that, Baekhyun shouts at his trainer: “Hey, Jongin, come here for a moment!” He then lowers his voice and moves closer to Kyungsoo to add: “Don’t get your hopes up, he probably won’t eat it anyway. He’s a fitness freak.”

Kyungsoo furrows his brows. If Baekhyun thinks that his trainer won’t even taste the cake, why would he call him over? That makes no sense.

“Jongin, this is my friend Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun chirps as the man approaches them. “He’s testing this recipe for a chocolate cake, and he really needs to get a second opinion.”

“I see,” Jongin peers at the plastic food container and then back at Kyungsoo. “Nice to meet you, Kyungsoo.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

And then nobody says anything for some time. Jongin simply continues looking at Kyungsoo with a broad, sunny smile, which makes Kyungsoo wonder if there is anything on his face that would warrant this much attention.

“So?” Baekhyun breaks the silence. “Will you taste it?”

Baekhyun asks the question while shooting Kyungsoo a mischievous look, expecting Jongin to decline, so what comes next clearly surprises him.

“Sure,” Jongin simply says. He then takes the fork from Baekhyun and samples the cake. “Did you make it yourself?”

“Yes, but I did not develop the recipe,” Kyungsoo clarifies as he watches Jongin put the cake into his mouth. It makes him nervous for some reason. “I’m just testing it to see if it’s worth it.”

“Worth what?” Jongin tilts his head to the side.

“Worthing putting into our magazine.”

“Well, if that’s the case, I’m not sure.”

“Why?!” Baekhyun exclaims, which is immediately followed by Kyungsoo’s calmer: “Why?”

“It’s missing something. It has got all these great qualities you expect from a chocolate cake and it should be perfect, but I don’t think it is.”

“But what’s missing?” Kyungsoo demands.

“Probably an element of surprise,” Jongin looks straight into Kyungsoo’s eyes. “It’s too predictable. It looks amazing, tastes amazing, everything’s there. But what’s the fun in that, you know?”

~

“So, you should know that Jongin asked me about you.”

Kyungsoo almost drops the steak he is plating for Baekhyun on the floor. It has been three days since he first met Baekhyun’s trainer. While he did get some pretty good advice from him, he certainly didn’t expect to hear his name anytime soon. And now Baekhyun just provides him with this piece of information during their weekly dinner at Kyungsoo’s place.

“Why would he do that?” Kyungsoo asks as he goes back to the plating as naturally as possible, pretending that he wasn’t thrown off by that information at all. “And what did he ask about?”

“Well, he asked me how old you are, what you like to do for fun, basically just general stuff,” Baekhyun takes a pause to steal one piece of the grilled zucchini that Kyungsoo prepared as a side dish together with other vegetables. “But then he asked about something that will answer your first question. He asked if you’re single.”

“Did he?” Kyungsoo has no idea what else to say.

“Yes! So, should I give him your number or what?”

“I…”

Baekhyun is basically in the middle of sending a text to Jongin when Kyungsoo stops him by snatching Baekhyun’s phone away and holding it in the air.

“Baekhyun, no!” The way Kyungsoo says it almost sounds like he is reprimanding a misbehaving child. Which is not that far from the truth if you ask him.

“Why not?” Baekhyun pouts and reaches for his phone. “He’s totally into you. And he’s cute! _And_ really nice! What more do you want?”

Kyungsoo has been dreading this question for a very long time. Not that he expected it to be in connection to Jongin specifically. He just knew that the question would come sooner or later and that it would be very difficult for him to explain his answer.

“Nothing. I just don’t feel like dating people right now.”

“Come on. You haven’t dated anyone since… wait.” Yes, this is another thing Kyungsoo has been dreading. That realization on Baekhyun’s part. “You haven’t dated anyone since Jongdae?! How did I not realize that before?”

“Well, to be honest, I think you were focused on your own messy relationships.”

“Okay, that might be true, but still!” Baekhyun slams his hands on Kyungsoo’s kitchen counter. “I should have figured that out. Man, how long has it been? More than two years?”

“Approximately,” Kyungsoo answers as if he doesn’t know the exact number of years, months, and days. Damn, he is pathetic.

“Shit, I’m a really bad friend.”

“No, you’re not,” Kyungsoo sighs. This is exactly what he did not want. “Trust me, I made sure you wouldn’t figure it out.”

“But why?” Baekhyun looks at him with a confused expression.

“For many reasons. But mainly because I knew you would try to make me date again.”

“And that’s an issue? Even after two years?”

“Yes. Because…” Kyungsoo trails off. He wants to phrase it in a way that would help Baekhyun understand better. However, he is pretty sure there is no such way. “Jongdae was my one shot at love. He was _the one_. And when he left two months before our wedding, I knew that I lost the one person that I was meant to be with.”

“I understand you felt that way at the time.” Baekhyun was there that day. And Kyungsoo does not even want to think about what would have happened if he hadn’t been. “But now? You still believe Jongdae was the one and that is it?”

“I do.”

“But what does that mean for you? Do you think that you and Jongdae are meant to get back together eventually? Or do you believe you are destined to be alone?”

Before he responds to that, Kyungsoo takes a whisky bottle from under his kitchen counter and pours both of them a glass. Alcohol is never the answer, but now he needs at least a little bit to help him relax.

He knows that his answer to Baekhyun’s question will make him sound like he is still broken-hearted about the whole Jongdae thing – which he admittedly is, but that’s not the main point. And he does not want to be misunderstood.

“I used to think that we’d get back together. I don’t anymore. I just believe I had my one chance and that’s it for me.”

“Kyungsoo, I felt the same way when Minseok broke up with me,” Baekhyun tells his best friend as he watches him take a sip of his whisky. “But then I met Chanyeol, and now I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but Minseok was very obviously not the one for you. Only you believed that. Made yourself believe that. Now Chanyeol, that’s a different story. There’s a real possibility he might be the one. I guess we’ll have to wait and see to be sure though.” Baekhyun chuckles when Kyungsoo says it. “However, with Jongdae, there was everything I ever wanted. He was perfect. The one for me. And I believe that you can only get that once in your life.”

“Well, sorry, but I don’t believe that,” Baekhyun shakes his head and takes a sip of the whisky himself. “I think that it would be quite unfair if that were the case. Plus, even if it were, I don’t think your one would leave you the way Jongdae did. People who are _the one_ don’t do stuff like this.”

As a response, Kyungsoo simply shrugs. It is nice of Baekhyun to say stuff like that, but Kyungsoo just knows. He knows that he has missed that one shot. And while it does hurt him when he thinks about it, he has become accustomed to the fact that there is no more love out there for him. After all, he has had no other choice than to accept it.

~

Kyungsoo studies the plate of fried chicken in front of him. His mouth is watering but before he can start eating, there are some things he needs to do.

First, he takes several pictures. Yes, yes, yes, he knows, he only takes picture of the food he made himself – well, this is an exception because this is for his job. Second, he examines the plate visually. Does it look appealing? Are there any noticeable issues? And third, he picks up one of his chopsticks to tap it against the crispy coating. Does the sound suggest that the crispiness is real, not just visual?

So far, he is extremely satisfied. The only thing remaining is to taste the work of art in front of him.

“Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo looks up from the plate he has been analysing in depth to see who has decided to interrupt him right before the most important moment.

“Oh. Hi,” Kyungsoo says and immediately forgets all the chicken in the world.

It has been a week since Baekhyun told him about how his trainer asked him about Kyungsoo. And once again, Kyungsoo didn’t expect to hear about him anytime soon. However, it seems like this man is hellbent on not meeting Kyungsoo’s expectations, even if it is unintentional.

“Hi. What are you doing here alone?”

“Working,” Kyungsoo simply answers. He does not want to be rude, but at the same time he has recovered from the shock and remembered that there is supposedly delicious chicken in front of him, so he would like to get to it. “What about you?”

“I’m here with my friends,” Jongin points at a table with three guys sitting there. “And what do you mean by working?”

“Um, well, my magazine is doing this piece on top ten best fried chicken places in the city, so I’m conducting some research.”

“Oh, that explains why you looked at the chicken as if you expected to see it come back to life or something,” Jongin chuckles. That observation makes Kyungsoo blush – he certainly did not predict being seen by someone while doing his examination. “Anyway, look no further, you’ve found the best place, trust me. I know my fried chicken.”

“You? The fitness freak?” Kyungsoo does it mean for it to slip out, but it does. And now he is embarrassed again.

“Who told you that? Baekhyun?” Fortunately, Jongin does not appear to be offended by it. “I have to present myself like that at work. And I also do have to live like that to stay in shape. But the truth is that I _love_ food! And fried chicken is one of those things I really love.”

“Good for you,” Kyungsoo chuckles. This Jongin guy is not at all what he expected him to be. “Although I do have to point out that I’m the professional here. So, I’ll be the judge of what the best fried chicken place is.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I did not realize I was in the presence of such authority and brilliance,” Jongin bows a little to Kyungsoo and puts on an apologetic expression.

“Very funny,” Kyungsoo responds dryly.

“I know,” Jongin laughs, obviously enjoying himself. “Well, I would ask you to join me and my friends, but I have a feeling we’d disrupt your professional experience.”

Kyungsoo knows that Jongin mostly means it as a joke, but at the same time he cannot help but detect something quite genuine in that. He has probably really considered asking Kyungsoo to join them.

“You’re right about that.”

“I thought so,” Jongin says, and he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “I guess I’ll leave you to it.”

“Thanks.”

And with that, the man leaves Kyungsoo alone at his table. Which is of course what Kyungsoo wanted, but at the same time he realizes he actually wouldn’t mind chatting with Jongin a bit more. Not because he is interested in him romantically or whatever, no. He simply finds him interesting and nice – even though it is based on limited interaction – and that does not happen to Kyungsoo that often. Actually, almost never. Anyway, that’s not important, he reminds himself as he gets back to the chicken.

And _damn_. He hates to admit it but Jongin might be right. This is extremely delicious, flavourful, crispy, juicy, just everything. But it also surprises you with something – Kyungsoo is pretty sure it is lemon juice. It gives the chicken this freshness as well as a kick. So yummy.

After many, many bites, Kyungsoo realizes that he should take some notes before he gets lost in the rest of the meal. He takes out his trusty notebook and starts writing things down, but soon he is interrupted by having a plate put right in front of him.

“Um, I’m sorry, I didn’t order this.”

“I know. It’s from that man over there,” the elderly woman who serves in the restaurant smiles as she points behind her.

Kyungsoo tilts to the side to see who she is pointing at – not that it is necessary, it is clearly Jongin, but he still wats to make sure. And of course, there is the handsome man, waving at him while smiling like the happiest man on Earth. _What the hell_?

“He says that you need to try it,” the woman adds when Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything for some time.

“I will, thank you.”

Normally, he would try to refuse but he doesn’t want to argue with the woman. She seems so sweet and kind, which is why he would cave in anyway if she kept insisting that he should accept the meal. Which is something Jongin must have been aware of. Well, more power to him.

As Kyungsoo looks down to find out what the dish is, he discovers that Jongin ordered sweet and spicy crispy chicken for him. _Hm_. Kyungsoo must say that he is not very impressed by this choice. Sure, it will probably be very good, but if Jongin is trying to do what Kyungsoo thinks he is trying to do (and he definitely is), he should have just gone full out. Order something fancier and so on. Perhaps even a drink. Maybe Jongin is just not as smooth as Kyungsoo expected him to be. Kyungsoo smirks and picks up the first bite with his chopsticks.

And _how_? How did Jongin manage to defy his expectations once again? The dish is so freaking good! So familiar yet so unique. How is that even possible?

“I’m glad you like it.”

Kyungsoo jumps up in his chair. That was quite unexpected. Once again! What is it with this guy and Kyungsoo’s expectations? This is not defying, he is basically shattering them.

“What is this place? How is it so good?”

“Don’t ask questions, just enjoy the experience,” Jongin laughs. “So, I actually came to say goodbye. My friend has a gig DJing at this club, so we have to go now, but, um, you’re welcome to join us if you want.”

“I don’t think so, but thanks,” Kyungsoo gives him an apologetic smile. Sure, he has to turn him down, but he can still be sorry about it.

“Yeah, I figured. Wanted to try anyway.”

Since Kyungsoo doesn’t know how to react, they end up simply exchanging awkward goodbyes and that is it. And Kyungsoo should be happy about it. He really should. It might have been awkward, but still pretty amicable and polite. So why does it leave him a bad taste in his mouth?

 _Oh, screw it_. He quickly pays for his fried chicken and runs out of the restaurant. Luckily, he can still spot Jongin on his left, and he dashes to catch up to him and his friends.

“Hey, Jongin, wait!”

“Kyungsoo?” Jongin turns around, obviously surprised by the sudden appearance. “What’s going on?”

“Well, I…” Kyungsoo stops talking the moment he notices all of Jongin’s friends are staring right at him, not even being discreet about it.

“Go ahead without me, I’ll catch up,” Jongin nudges them to go away as soon as he notices their unhelpful behaviour. “You were saying?”

“Um, I just wanted to tell you that you seem really great, but I’m just not interested in being in a relationship right now.”

“Oh, okay. Well, I guess… thanks for telling me?”

“Yeah, um.” This is so awkward. Maybe Kyungsoo shouldn’t have done this. “I wanted you to know that it is not about you. And yes, it might sound like a cliché –“

“Yes, it does. Look, if you’re worried about my relationship with Baekhyun, you don’t have to be. I would never take it out on him.”

“I was never worried about that.” It has literally ever crossed Kyungsoo’s mind. This is such a big misunderstanding. “It really is not –“

“About me, yeah, got it. You don’t –“

“Fuck, Jongin, stop it! When I say it’s not about you, it really is not about you!” Kyungsoo basically screams at the man in the middle of the street. “I have some stuff… issues… whatever. And besides, we don’t even know each other, so…”

“So, let’s change that. Come with me to the club.”

Well, Kyungsoo ran right into that one, didn’t he. He has no one to blame but himself.

“And before you say anything, I don’t mean it as a date. If you say you’re not interested, I respect that. But I would like to get to know you. Simply as a friend.”

For some reason, Kyungsoo believes that Jongin truly means it. He doesn’t know what it is – the soft hair, the small pout, those sparkling eyes? Combination of all of them? And perhaps he shouldn’t trust someone who is almost a complete stranger, but he does. That is the weird part.

~

“Are you sure your friends don’t mind you ditching them like this?” Kyungsoo asks as soon as they find an empty table and put down their drinks, which Jongin paid for despite Kyungsoo’s persistent refusal.

“I’m sure. We hang out all the time, I actually think they could use a break from me,” Jongin notes in a light-hearted manner. “By the way, I really want to apologize for acting like a butthurt idiot before. It felt like you decided to blow me off and then rub salt into the wound, so I overreacted.”

“That’s okay, don’t worry about it,” Kyungsoo gives him a reassuring smile. “So, why don’t you tell me more about yourself? Like how long have you been working at the gym?”

Jongin is so taken aback by Kyungsoo actually asking him a question of his own accord that he almost chokes on his beer, which does not escape Kyungsoo. He smirks because he was finally able to get back at Jongin for surprising him so much.

“I, um,” Jongin clears his throat. It is quite cute how he tries to play it cool. “Two years, I guess. Yeah, that sounds about right.”

“I see. And is this like your dream job?”

“Not exactly.” Jongin starts running his fingers along the neck of his beer bottle, probably because he doesn’t know what to do with his hands. “I like it a lot, but it’s not a job I expected to have when I graduated. I actually used to have a typical desk job, however, it turned out that it’s definitely not for me. And when I was thinking about what to do next, I was approached by one personal trainer at my gym who asked me if I would be interested in looking after some of his clients while he was on vacation. I agreed, and that is how I found out it’s actually a really cool job.”

“Wow,” Kyungsoo exclaims. “It basically fell right into your lap when you needed it most.”

“Yes, it did. I guess I was lucky.”

“Oh, for sure. And are there any parts of the job that you don’t particularly enjoy? Perhaps dealing with whiny clients such as Baekhyun?”

“He’s not that bad,” Jongin chuckles. “Really. At least he makes our sessions fun. But if I’m being honest, what I like the least is the fact that I have to stay in much better physical shape than I ever would if I was not a personal trainer.”

“Is that because you need to be basically like a walking ad for the gym?”

“Something like that,” Jongin nods with an amused laugh. “Anyway, enough about me, how about you? Is being a food editor your dream job?”

“Now it definitely is,” Kyungsoo says after he takes a sip of his whisky. “But after I finished culinary school, all I wanted to do was work at a restaurant. And I did do that for some time until all the stress and exhaustion got to me. At that point, I had to admit to myself that I’m just not suited for it. It was heart-breaking, but after I got this job, it all started to make sense to me.”

“How come?”

“Well, I love food,” as Kyungsoo says it, a warm smile flickers across his face. “I love talking about it, I love making it, I love eating it. But when you work at a restaurant, you don’t have much time to appreciate it. You work and work and try to make everything perfect. When you are a food editor, yes, there are deadlines and stuff like that, but you have time. You can focus on the food and enjoy it. And I think I need exactly that.”

“That’s so cool!” Jongin exclaims with admiration. “I love that you know yourself so well and that it helps you appreciate your job.”

“Um, thanks.” Kyungsoo is caught off guard a bit by such genuine enthusiasm.

“Yeah. Actually, I’m quite envious of that. I feel like I still haven’t figured myself out.”

Kyungsoo furrows his brows because Jongin certainly does not seem that lost to him. “I don’t think that’s necessary, you have plenty of time to do that.”

“Maybe, but I think I should hurry up if I want to… well, if I want to settle down.”

For some reason, Jongin appears to be embarrassed by his own words. Which Kyungsoo understands, he used to be the same – always talking about settling down while other people made fun of him because of it. However, Kyungsoo is a very serious and responsible person – which are things others realize right away, so it should not come as that big of a surprise that he has thought about settling down. With Jongin, on the other hand, it is quite surprising. At least for Kyungsoo. He just does not seem like the type.

“It might sound kind of weird, but I want to get married and have kids,” Jongin continues. “I think that professionally I’m at a place when I can afford it. So that works out. And I just can’t stop thinking about how great that would be. You see, I have a niece and a nephew, and they are just the best. If I could, I would spend all of my time with them! And every time I look at them, I just know that having my own kids is what I want the most. And as soon as possible.”

Kyungsoo remembers telling Baekhyun the exact same thing for the first time. That he wants to have kids as soon as possible. His best friend certainly could not relate to that at the time. Most people couldn’t. Until he met Jongdae. _Damn_ , that realization stings.

“Well, now you can see why I’m single. It’s kind of a turnoff when you say that to people. I’m sure you think I’m strange too.”

“No, I don’t! I get it, I…” Kyungsoo trails of. Should he say it? He wants Jongin to know that there are people who can relate to him and who won’t be scared off by that, but at the same time he is terrified of talking about his ow experience. “Actually, I used to think I would have kids by now.”

“What changed?” Jongin tilts his head, and you can hear concern in his voice.

“Long story short, my fiancé broke things off, and the plans to have kids went out of the window.”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Jongin exclaims with a panicked expression on his face. “I had no idea! If I had, I wouldn’t have –“

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo interrupts him before he can continue with the apologies. “I need to learn how to talk about it.”

“If you say so.” It is pretty obvious that Jongin wants to ask him about it more, but he doesn’t know if that is appropriate. From what Kyungsoo can tell, he is a very considerate person, which means that he would probably hate to make Kyungsoo feel uncomfortable or hurt him in any way. “Can I just… can I ask you one question?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Is this why you said that you’re not interested in being in a relationship?”

“Yes, pretty much,” Kyungsoo admits. He would like to think that there are more reasons, but if he is being honest, it all boils downs to the fact that Jongdae left him.

“I see,” Jongin breathes out, and you can see that the wheels in his head are turning. Should he change the topic? Continue talking about it? Hug Kyungsoo? Oh, Kyungsoo definitely hopes he is not going to hug him… because that would be awkward. “Hey, let’s go dancing.”

“Huh?” is all that comes to Kyungsoo’s mind at the moment.

“Yeah! It’ll be fun.”

“I don’t know, I’m not much of a dancer.”

“That’s not important. Club dancing is not real dancing, you just move to the rhythm.”

“True, but –“

“Come on, let’s go.”

Jongin grabs his hand and leads him to the dance floor. And Kyungsoo wants to protest, he really does, but he is so dumbfounded by Jongin’s direct approach that it leaves him momentarily speechless. How can he be so considerate and tentative at one point but right after that this assertive and commanding? Kyungsoo just can’t figure him out. Every time it feels like he did, Jongin does something unexpected and Kyungsoo is back to square one.

As Kyungsoo is practically dragged to the middle of the dance floor, he notices that the DJ, Jongin’s friend, is waving at the them. Jongin, of course, waves back, smiling radiantly from ear to ear. while Kyungsoo opts for a very awkward head nodding instead.

However, there is no time for him to wallow in embarrassment because of how awkward he is. No. Now is the time to run away because once Jongin starts dancing, it becomes pretty obvious that Kyungsoo made a big mistake when he let the guy drag him there.

“What the hell, Jongin?!” Kyungsoo blurts out. “Do you have like a dance background or something?”

It is not that Jongin is showing off some complicated or fancy dance moves. He is literally just moving to the rhythm. Yet the movement is not something Kyungsoo or any other person in the club would be capable of. Kyungsoo can’t quite put his finger on it, but it is probably in the way Jongin moves his hips.

“How did you know?” Jongin lights up and leans towards Kyungsoo to speak directly into his ear. After all, the club music is pretty loud. “I used to do ballet and also some modern dance.”

“Wow. That’s it, I’m out of here.”

But before Kyungsoo can escape the inevitable humiliation, Jongin grabs both of his hands and pulls him closer. So much so that he almost crashes into Jongin’s well-defined chest.

“Come on, don’t be like that. It’s just dancing, it’s not rocket science.”

Kyungsoo does not seem to be convinced by that argument though, which is apparent from his lack of movement, so Jongin places both of his hands on Kyungsoo’s hips and tries to get Kyungsoo to move them.

Kyungsoo, who is once again at a loss for words, holds back for a moment. But as he it dawns on him that Jongin won’t simply let go until he gets him to start dancing, he finally surrenders and begins swinging his hips to the rhythm.

“See! You’re doing great!”

Kyungsoo is not so sure about that. Heck, he is absolutely positive that he must look like an idiot compared to Jongin. However, seeing Jongin’s excited expression makes up for the fact that he feels so clumsy and uncoordinated. And, to Kyungsoo’s own surprise, he even forgets about feeling like that after a while because he discovers that dancing with Jongin is actually quite fun.

~

What Kyungsoo did not expect when he agreed to exchange numbers last night is that Jongin would start texting him basically right away. And that he would even send selfies! The first time it happens Kyungsoo just ends up staring at his phone without any idea how to respond to Jongin complaining about having a very early workout session with a client and attaching a picture of himself standing in the middle of the gym and pouting.

And it does not stop there! It is memes, pictures of cute animals, pictures of food, random photos Jongin takes when he sees something interesting, song recommendations, photos of Jongin’s niece and nephew, links to funny videos… the list could go on. Oh, and so many questions! It is important not to forget that because Kyungsoo has never been bombarded with so many questions in his life.

Initially, Kyungsoo does not react to all the random stuff and only responds to Jongin’s questions. Later, he learns that to make Jongin happy it is enough to occasionally simply react to those random texts with emojis. And the final stage is that Kyungsoo himself starts initiating conversation from time to time – it is usually just asking Jongin a question or sending a photo of the food he cooked for the magazine, but it is something at least. Well, it is a lot actually, given the fact that Kyungsoo has always avoided stuff like this.

However, the most interesting thing about this whole texting situation is that Kyungsoo has gotten used to it – which shows especially in the way he thinks and acts. For example, now he is doing the shopping for today’s diner and for the whole weekend, but instead of deciding how much onions to get, he takes out his phone and texts Jongin to find out what the man is having for dinner.

The reply comes quite soon, but it makes Kyungsoo frown a bit. Jongin answered that he is still at the gym, so he’ll probably just quickly grill some meat, which is all that he has in his fridge anyway.

Kyungsoo bites his lip and looks down into his shopping cart. Just by examining it for a moment he can already tell that he will make the same mistake he does most of the time he cooks – making way too much food and then overeating because he hates being wasteful. Therefore, it seems only rational – inviting Jongin for dinner will be like killing two birds with one stone: he will make sure that Jongin eats proper food, and he himself will be able to move after finishing his dinner. A win-win situation.

Not surprisingly, Jongin readily agrees by sending a selfie of himself showing thumbs up, which makes Kyungsoo suppress a fond smile. He certainly does not want to be one of those people that smile at their phones in public. So, he quickly tells Jongin that the dinner will be ready at around seven and sends him the address before pocketing his phone and getting back to shopping.

~

When Kyungsoo gets home, there are two things that are more than clear: he needs to get to cooking as soon as possible (because he is now making Spaghetti Alle Vongole instead of the easy Lo Mein he initially planned to make), but at the same time he should do something about the mess in his apartment if he wants to make a good first impression of the place. _Kill_. _Him_. _Now_.

Therefore, given the time pressure he is under, it is basically a miracle that when the doorbell rings Kyungsoo has managed to do both of those things _and_ change into something comfortable but at the same time not too casual (yes, he wasted a lot of time deciding what to wear, so sue him).

“Hey! I brought wine. And don’t worry, the guy at the shop said it should be really good,” Jongin hands Kyungsoo a bottle of wine right when he steps into the apartment. “Wow, your place is so cool!”

“Thanks. And thanks for this at well,” he adds while examining the wine label.

“No, thank _you_! I can’t remember the last time someone offered to cook for me.”

“Well, I was planning to cook anyway,” Kyungsoo says while omitting the fact that he switched from one recipe to a different one. “Oh, which reminds me, it’s not ready yet, so please make yourself comfortable, I need to go finish it.”

“Thanks,” Jongin’s face creases into a smile as he watches Kyungsoo scurry off to the kitchen. “And where are we going to eat? So that I know where to sit.”

Kyungsoo stirs the spaghetti sauce and then tastes it to give himself more time to think. There only two options: the kitchen island (where he usually eats alone or with Baekhyun when he comes over) and the dining table (where he eats only when his mother visits), but damn, why is it so hard to decide?

“Um, would you be okay with the kitchen island?”

“Sure!” Jongin answers immediately and sits down in one of the bar stools. “It smells delicious, by the way. What is it?”

“Spaghetti Alle Vongole,” Kyungsoo says as he moves the spaghetti into the pan to finish them in the sauce. “It is basically spaghetti with clams. I discovered the recipe when we were doing our Italian special and fell in love.”

“Wow, that’s sounds so good! Can’t wait.”

Fortunately, Kyungsoo does not have to keep Jongin waiting. He plates up the pasta into nests using a carving fork, adds the remaining sauce, and finishes it with some parsley and a little bit of olive oil. And then all there is left to do is to serve it.

“Okay, so the wine you bought will be a good pairing actually. I’ll open it, but you dig in.”

“No, no, I’ll do it!” Jongin leans over the kitchen island and grabs the corkscrew from Kyungsoo’s hand to stop him from opening the bottle himself. Thus, he has no choice but to hand Jongin the wine.

“I could have done that myself.”

“I know, but you cooked the dinner. The least I can do is open the wine,” Jongin chuckles while pouring both of them a glass. “Okay, now let’s dig in together.”

Over the week or so they have been texting, there have been a lot of things Kyungsoo discovered about Jongin. In fact, he would go as far as to say that he has gotten to know him pretty well. However, up till now he has had no idea how satisfying it is to watch Jongin eat and enjoy the food. His face lights up with each mouthful, he closes his eyes with delight, he makes yummy noises, he compliments the food constantly. He is pretty much every chef’s dream, Kyungsoo included.

“This was so good, Kyungsoo!” he exclaims after he finishes everything on his plate. “I swear, I can’t remember the last time I had pasta that was this tasty.”

“I’m glad,” Kyungsoo gives him a happy smile as he clears the plates away. “But I do hope you have room for dessert.”

“You had time to make a dessert?!”

“Well, no,” Kyungsoo says. He then opens his fridge and takes out two small dessert plates. “But I was testing a fruit tart recipe for the magazine, and I took some of them home.”

“Yay, I love fruit tarts!” Jongin claps his hands in glee. “I’m so glad I haven’t exceeding my sugar limit for the week. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to eat these.”

“And that would be a shame.”

“Exactly!”

A gentle smile crosses Kyungsoo’s face. Now he is even happier that he can place the plates down on the kitchen island and watch Jongin literally attack the tart.

“So, how is it?” he asks and then tops off their glasses with more wine.

“Amazing! So much better than the chocolate cake you gave me last time. And don’t get me wrong, that was great, but I think this tart has the right balance of being exactly what you want it to be and surprising you at the same time.”

“Yes, I think so too,” Kyungsoo agrees and cuts off a small piece of his own tart as well. “You know, it is really interesting how you are able to put these criteria into such simple terms even though you are not a chef yourself.”

“Well, it might be because it’s true about more things than cooking,” Jongin shrugs and takes a sip of his wine.

“Such as?”

“Hm, take people, for example. There might be someone who is absolutely perfect for you. In every way imaginable. But that person soon becomes too predictable. Exactly because they are perfect. And I think that’s not what you should look for. You should try to find someone who might not be all the things that you wated but surprises you and brings thrill into your life.”

Those words send shivers down Kyungsoo’s spine. _Damn_. Why does his mouth suddenly feel so dry? He reaches for his wine glass with a trembling hand and takes a long drink.

“Y-yes, being perfect might be predictable, but I don’t see anything wrong with that.” Why does it feel like such a personal attack? He knows it is not, it can’t be, but it feels like it. “Maybe _you_ can’t see that because you’ve never met anyone perfect for you.”

“And you have?” It is a genuine question, and it should not be problematic. However, as soon as it leaves Jongin’s mouth, he clearly realizes that he should have thought about it more first. Because the answer is pretty obvious, isn’t it. “I’m sorry, I… I’m dumb.”

“It’s fine. It’s been more than two years now.” Two years, five months, and sixteen days. “However, it’s not that easy to get over someone who is perfect for you.”

“Yeah,” Jongin acknowledges. “Do you still see each other?”

“No, we don’t. He moved away right after we… well, he broke things off.” Kyungsoo hates how this topic brings the mood down, so he tries to lighten it up. “By the way, you have no idea how much it costs to cancel your wedding vendors! Never plan a wedding unless you’re absolutely sure it’s happening.”

Unfortunately, the attempt to improve the atmosphere fails since the joke doesn’t really work if you are aware that Kyungsoo _was_ absolutely sure the wedding would happen. And both Kyungsoo and Jongin certainly are aware of the fact.

“Okay, looks like I’m the dumb one.”

“No!” Jongin rushes to say. “I’m the one who brought it up. Even though I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. It happens to a lot of people actually. For example, when Mom unintentionally mentions Jongdae, she always immediately switches the topic to something completely random. Like to a TV show she’s been watching.”

“Well, that must be awkward,” Jongin softly chuckles. “What about Baekhyun?”

“Hm, with Baekhyun the issue usually is that I’m the one who mentions him and then Baekhyun wants to talk about it. But because I definitely don’t, I start talking about Baekhyun’s relationships. And given his history, that’s a very good way to distract him.”

“Yeah, it is!” Jongin joins in. “I’ve actually become convinced that he uses talking about his exes to distract himself from how done he is with working out. It’s really fascinating.”

“I bet,” Kyungsoo lets out a laugh. “More wine?”

“Yes, please,” Jongin pushes his glass towards Kyungsoo. “Do you like it, by the way? As I said, the guy at the shop recommended it to me, but I know nothing about wine, so I can’t really tell if it’s any good.”

“It is very good,” Kyungsoo assures him. “But just so you know, I don’t know a lot about wine either.”

“You’re more of a whisky guy, right?”

“Uh-huh,” Kyungsoo grins. “I do know my whisky.”

“That is exactly the reason why I brought wine. But, just for fun, what’s your favourite whisky?”

Kyungsoo holds up a finger to let Jongin know to wait a moment, hops off the bar stool, and walks over to the liquor cabinet in his living room. He then takes out one bottle that is half empty (or half full, depending on your life philosophy) and brings it over to the kitchen island to show it to his guest.

“This one.”

Before Kyungsoo knows it, Jongin pulls out his phone and takes a picture. He then proceeds to look up at Kyungsoo with a dazzling smile.

“For future reference.”

“No, don’t you dare! That is way too expensive.”

Jongin has the audacity to respond by shrugging nonchalantly and taking another picture. However, this time it is clearly not just a picture of the bottle. It is a picture of Kyungsoo holding the bottle.

What a rascal! If Kyungsoo didn’t like this whisky so much, he might actually hit Jongin over the head with it.

“You’re unbelievable. To think that I wanted to let you try it!”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’d be a good idea. I doubt I could appreciate it.”

Kyungsoo pauses for a second. He knows this is nothing important, but he hates it when Jongin puts himself down. In fact, he does it quite often… with little things like this.

“I’m sure you could,” Kyungsoo finally says and pours Jongin a glass. “Try it.”

“But you said it yourself, it’s really expensive. Do you really want to waste it on me?”

“It’s not a waste,” Kyungsoo corrects him and raises his own glass. “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” a gentle smile spreads across Jongin face as he joins Kyungsoo in the toast.

He proceeds to bring the glass to his lips and take a cautious sip. A moment of hesitation. And then his face lights up.

“So?” Kyungsoo asks after a few moments of watching Jongin appreciate the taste.

“I love it! No wonder it’s your favourite. So smooth!”

“Yeah, they sure know how to make good whisky,” Kyungsoo says while putting the bottle cap back on. “And you are able to appreciate it.”

“I guess I am. Thanks.” Jongin peers down into his glass. “Kyungsoo, I need ask. Am I too childish and immature for you?”

“Huh? No. Why would you ask that?”

“Well, you’re so sophisticated, but here I am usually texting you stupid memes and random things. You must think I’m really dumb.”

“No! Not at all,” Kyungsoo shakes his head. “I like your texts. I just… I’m a really boring person so I don’t usually know how to react to them.”

“That’s okay! But you’re definitely not boring. You’re one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met.”

“Um, thanks, that’s really… really nice of you to say.”

Yes, it is very nice, because Kyungsoo is definitely not interesting. He might be a lot of things, but interesting is not one of them. Thus, it actually does not make any sense that Jongin enjoys texting with him. Why would he… _oh_.

Kyungsoo does not get to finish the question he meant to ask himself because he catches the way Jongin is looking at him. And it is so hard to describe. Because it is not lust. No, definitely not. And it is also not simply interest. It’s… it seems… almost as if…

“I, um, I’ll go put this back into the cabinet,” Kyungsoo runs off to the living room instead of dealing with what Jongin’s gaze could mean.

But as soon as he puts the whisky bottle back into its place, he realizes that he did not think this through. Simply disappearing for a couple of seconds won’t change anything. Jongin will keep looking at him that way, and Kyungsoo won’t know what to do about it.

“Hey, it’s getting pretty late.” No, it is not. This is still pretty early even for a workday, let alone a Friday night. “I don’t want to keep you.”

“Yeah.” Jongin is clearly disappointed by being send way like this, Kyungsoo can tell. “But I can’t leave you here with all of these dishes! I’ll do them.”

“No, that’s not necessary, I’ll –“

“Please, I insist.”

It is so strange. Because Jongin’s _please_ sounds so desperate while his _I insist_ comes across as rather commanding. What an odd combination.

“Okay, I propose a compromise. I’ll wash and you’ll dry.”

Jongin proves to be a very good partner for washing the dishes. He does exactly as he is told, he is careful, and he does not rush Kyungsoo. Basically, when it comes to helping Kyungsoo with the dishes, he is the exact opposite of Baekhyun. Therefore, a great companion.

“You have so much cookware,” Jongin notes as he puts away Kyungsoo’s saucepan. “All I have at my place is one pan. And a pot… but I’m pretty sure I’ve lost the lid that goes with it.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

“Because you know me.”

After Jongin says that, he leans against the kitchen counter right next to the sink and fixes his eyes on Kyungsoo. _Oh my god_ , the indescribable way in which he looks at him is back! And it seems to be even more intense? Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, what is he going to do?! Kyungsoo is literally going crazy here!

“Jongin, I need you to just… just back off,” he says softly while shrinking back.

“What?” And then Jongin comes out of his trance. “Oh my god, I’m sorry! I didn’t… I promise I wasn’t going to do anything! I wouldn’t do that! Not after you told me you’re not interested, I swear!”

 _Shit_ , Kyungsoo didn’t even think about that. All that he could focus on was the intensity of Jongin’s gaze. It didn’t occur to him at all that he could be thinking about kissing Kyungsoo… wait, that is what Jongin is saying, right?

“So… so you thought about kissing me?”

“Yes, but I would never do it! I would never do it without your permission, you have to trust me.”

“No, I do, I do trust you.” And the weird thing is that he really does. “It’s just that, um, what about us simply being friends?”

“Yeah, that,” Jongin looks down at the dishcloth in his hand. He probably needs something else to focus on other than Kyungsoo. “I thought I could do it but then I got to know you and… and it turns out I can’t.”

“I see,” Kyungsoo breathes out. This is just too much for him to take in. “Look, Jongin, if that’s the case, I think it might be a good idea to take a step back and not see each other or contact each other for a while. I even think it could help you realize that this is probably just a fleeting feeling. Anyway, it will definitely do both of us good.”

~

“What did you do to Jongin, you idiot?!”

Well, this is certainly the most dramatic entrance Baekhyun has ever made into Kyungsoo’s apartment. And there have been many, many of those.

“Why? Did he say anything?”

“No!” Baekhyun tosses away his gym bag, and it lands right next to Kyungsoo’s sofa. “Look, the guy has always been a ray of sunshine. And now, now that you two are friends or whatever, I find him at the gym devasted and without any sort of energy! A coincidence? I think not! So, what did you do?”

“I told him that we should stop being friendly for a while.”

“Why?” Baekhyun folds his arms and stares at Kyungsoo, demanding an answer.

“Well, he said he can’t be just friends.”

“So? You knew right from the beginning he was interested. And yeah, he might have said that you two would hang out just as friends, but, come on, you’re not stupid. Or what did you think? That he would lose interest? That easily? And after you two getting closer?”

Kyungsoo hates this. He is used to being the one who helps Baekhyun realize things – who calls him out on stuff. It is not usually the other way around, which is why this stings so much.

“Kyungsoo, let’s be honest here,” Baekhyun continues. “You knew pretty damn well that he liked you. You’re way too smart not to have realized that.”

“Yes, but let’s not forget that I let him know I wasn’t interested before we got closer.”

“The problem is not whether you told him that or not at the time. The problem is that you won’t admit what you feel for him right now.”

“And what’s that?” Kyungsoo frowns. He feels like he is being lectured about his own feelings, and that makes him pretty pissed off. “Why don’t you tell me exactly how I feel, huh? You seem to be such an expert.”

“Don’t use that tone with me,” Baekhyun shoots him a piercing look. “I obviously don’t know what you feel for him. But it must be something!”

“Well, how could I not?!” Kyungsoo blurts out despite himself. “It’s impossible not to like him! Fucking impossible.” And Kyungsoo has tried. He really has. “But I’ve told you before. I’ve already wasted my one shot at love. It’s not happening again.”

Baekhyun sighs. “And I’ve told you what I think about that. Look, if you decide that this Jongin thing is not worth pursuing, I’ll support you. I promise. But, please, think about it. Really think about it. I believe you owe him at least that.”

~

Kyungsoo shuffles his feet as he stands in the middle of a pavement, holding a wrapped box. He can feel the weird looks of the people who pass him by him. If they actually asked why he is just standing there, all nervous and fidgety, he would tell them, well, not actually, just in his head, that he is trying to resolve some issues in his live. So give him a break.

“Kyungsoo? What are you doing here?”

He turns around to look at the person he has been waiting for all this time. Well, _waiting for_ might be the wrong word. He was hoping to run into the person. Into Jongin.

“Hi. I, um, I noticed the signboard of this coffee shop in some of your morning selfies,” he motions to the place with his head. “I searched for it on the Internet and came here, hoping that you might live nearby.”

“That’s –“

“Weird, yeah, I know,” Kyungsoo admits. “This is for you,” he then proceeds to hand Jongin the box he has been holding.

“What is it?”

“A pot with a lid.”

“Huh?”

“You mentioned that you can’t find the lid that goes with the one pot you have. So, I figured it would be nice to have one more pot that actually has a lid.”

“Um, I don’t know what to say,” Jongin takes the box without looking directly at Kyungsoo. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Well, it is a good sign that he didn’t tell him to go to hell, right? “Hey, Jongin, can we talk?”

“Yeah, sure, um, I live right around the corner. Is that okay?”

“Yes, more than okay.”

They walk over to Jongin’s apartment in complete silence. Jongin seems too taken aback to say anything, and Kyungsoo feels like he should wait before they reach the place. The things he wants to say need to be said in a safe environment. And the street definitely isn’t it.

“Come in,” Jongin opens the door and lets them in.

It is strange because to Kyungsoo it doesn’t feel like this is the first time he has visited the place. No, he recognizes it from all of Jongin’s photos. For some reason, it simply feels familiar, and therefore makes him relax a little bit.

“So, I should probably explain why I decided to come see you like this.”

“Yeah, that would be helpful.”

“Sure,” Kyungsoo chuckles nervously. “I really wanted to explain some things to you in person. And bring you the pot. And also this.”

Kyungsoo reaches into his bag and takes out a plastic food container. He holds it really close to his chest for a moment and then stretches out his arms to hand it to Jongin.

“It’s tiramisu.”

“Thank you.”

“Wait, I need to say something before you take it!” Kyungsoo suddenly realizes and brings the container back to his chest. “Sorry.”

“That’s okay,” Jongin tells him. He is obviously confused by what is going on, but he doesn’t demand answers right away, which Kyungsoo appreciates.

“So, I guess I should begin,” Kyungsoo clears his throat. “I was testing a tiramisu recipe and it turned out great. It met all the requirements of a perfect, traditional tiramisu. I was so excited about it, but then it got me thinking. Yes, it is perfect. It is all I’ve ever wanted from a tiramisu. But does that mean that it is the only tiramisu I can eat from now on? Won’t that be kind of boring? And what if I don’t have all the ingredients to make it. What then?”

Jongin listens to Kyungsoo very intently, bless his heart. He could easily just ask what the hell this story has to do with anything, yet he doesn’t. He patiently waits.

“That is why I made this second tiramisu. The one that I brought for you. You know, after I made and tried the first one, I remembered the first time I met you. And what you said about the chocolate cake. So, I decided to experiment. And because you enjoyed the fruit tarts, I made this: a triple berry tiramisu tart. It’s actually pretty good. It still has most of the elements you’d expect from a tiramisu, but it surprises you with extra flavours, freshness, and texture. I think you’ll like it.”

“I’m sure I will, thank you,” Jongin finally takes the container after Kyungsoo hands it to him, but he certainly doesn’t seem to comprehend what is going on.

Well, that might be Kyungsoo’s fault. He himself hasn’t realized the metaphor until recently. But when he did, it all started to make sense.

“When Jongdae left me, I was devasted,” he starts. Jongin immediately looks up at him with a shocked expression on his face. “I believed he was the one. The one that was perfect for me. The one I was meant to be with for the rest of my life. And then I came to this conclusion: damn, that was my one shot at real love. I really believed that you get to meet someone that perfect for you once in your life, so there is no point in trying again.”

Kyungsoo can see that Jongin wants to object that statement. However, knowing that more is coming, he holds back. He tightens the grip on the food container and doesn’t say a word.

“To be honest, I still don’t know whether that’s true or not. But I do know this. You’ve shattered all of my expectations so far. You came into my life and somehow made it better. And you made me think that… that I could be wrong about that whole having only one shot at love thing.”

Jongin is left completely speechless. He only stands there for several seconds, staring at Kyungsoo, trying to figure out if this is a dream or a prank or whatever. But since he doesn’t wake up and Kyungsoo doesn’t say _sike_ or anything, he finally realizes that this is really happening. So, he takes a deep breath and puts down the food container in his hands on the kitchen counter.

“Can I –?”

He doesn’t get to finish the question because Kyungsoo closes the distance between them and presses his lips against Jongin’s. Jongin immediately responds by kissing him back while putting his hands around Kyungsoo’s waist and pulling him closer. And it is literally the perfect first kiss – soft yet there is some urgency to it. However, Jongin does not disappoint and brings an element of surprise to it by sucking on Kyungsoo’s lower lip and then running his tongue along the place. And wow, just wow, that feels so freaking good.

“I’m so stupid for not letting you kiss me sooner,” Kyungsoo whispers as their lips separate but their bodies still stay close.

“Yes, you are. But that’s okay. We’ll have a lot of time to make up for it because I’m not going anywhere.”

And Kyungsoo can sense it. He can sense it in the way Jongin hugs him. Jongin doesn’t want to let him go. Which is good because Kyungsoo doesn’t want to be let go. All he wants is to be held in Jongin’s arms and feel loved.


End file.
